Assassin's Blood
by Darkgirl12
Summary: A assassin, hired by a man, must do a simple job. It was suppose to be a simple and short mission. In the end, she discovers that this mission is something much larger than what she thought. Better than it sounds
1. Assignment and Knowledge

Assassin's Blood

Chapter 1 – Assignment and Knowledge

_You know, I thought becoming an assassin would have been hard work; it's not. You're hired by the person who has a grudge, you find the target, Kill, and then come back and collect your pay after disposing the body of the victim. It's all very easy; at least it was until __**he **__up on my doorstep…_

The man came to me when it was, basically, in the middle of the night, and it was pouring down buckets of rain. He knocked on my door of my 'home' before letting himself in on his own accord. I was seated at the table located in the small room I called the 'Living Room'. Currently I was going over papers and sorting through books to keep up my records.

"How can I assist you?" I asked, not turning around, even as he was behind me and peering over my shoulder at what I was doing. He wouldn't understand any of it, I had placed it in a code only I knew of, or so I hoped, because of the people who I dealt with and their slimy hands.

"I am in need of your abilities my dear -"

I cut the man saying, "The only person who has said that, is not with us anymore, so I suggest you don't call me that."

"I am in need of your abilities, then, because there is a man that has been causing some trouble for me over the years. You may have heard of this man that I am referring to. Does the name Vincent Valentine strike you in anyway?" The pencil I had been writing with stopped it movements over the half-filled paper. I _did_ recognize the name; Vincent Valentine was the name of the man how basically saved the world when Deepground summoned Omega four years ago. I set my pencil down and turned around on the wooden stool I was using.

My employer was a man in his late sixties, maybe early seventies, with greasy black hair that was rapidly turning grey; his black rimmed glasses slid down his nose, forcing him to push them up so they wouldn't fall and shatter. He wore a white dress shirt with a black tie and black slacks and a pair of black shoes. Over all of that was a white Lab coat that you would find on scientists; it was soaking wet though due to the rain.

"Who are you?" I asked while leaning back on the table with my elbows. I was wearing a medium sleeved green turtle necked shirt with a pair of black cargo pants and boots that had a small heel. My dirty blond hair was pulled up into a high pony tail and it would normally reach my mid back, though it rested on the table at the present. My brown eyes remained emotionless as I studied the man in front of me.

"That, you will find out later. I don't want you to say who employed you to do the job while tracking down Valentine. I want to live just a little bit longer." That was the second red flag that shot up in my mind. The first was just his appearance.

"Have a picture of him? I do recognize the name, but I have never seen him, so I would be going on blank here." I stated, raising an eyebrow; The Man then pulled out a wrinkled up photo from his pocket and handed it to me. Grabbing it, I flipped it over and saw Vincent Valentine. He was dressed in a red cape that buckled in front of his chest and extended in the back to the ground almost. He had on a black button up shirt and a pair of black pants that had two belts, one of the belts was attached to a gun holstered, and said gun was a triple barreled gun held in his left hand, which was covered in a gold metal. He wore a pair of gold boots, and once I looked at his face I felt like I should know him. He had crimson colored eyes that didn't give anything away, even in a photo. A band of red cloth was wrapped around his forehead, to keep the hair out of his face; a high red collar from the cape hid the bottom portion of his face. I set the picture down behind me on the table and looked at the man.

"Since you know what I do and where I am, you must know how I do business." I said calmly.

"Of course, here's half the payment," The man took out a bag from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Thank you for doing business. Come back in about a week and it'll most likely be done." I told him, grabbing the bag of Gil as he left my 'house'. I turned around and threw the bag of Gil into the nearby trash bag. The bag was full of fake money, I could tell without even looking at it. Picking up the photo, I turned it over and looked at the back to see if it held the man's name. In black, was a message; I couldn't read it, but I did get some words here and there; like "Kill" "Vincent" "Project" and "Hojo".

Thinking nothing of the writing except that the man held a huge Grudge against Valentine, I set the picture down and went back to what I had been engaged in previous.

The next afternoon, I had the table cleaned off and was currently putting all the paper, books and writing utensils into a carrying bag that would attach at my hip. I then set the bag down on the floor near the door and went back a hallway and into a 'bedroom'. My bed was a couple of blankets and the pillow was a bag of my clothes. I rolled up the blankets and stuffed them in with my clothes. From the bag I pulled out a holster and my double barreled hand gun I called Hades. I attached the holster to my hip and slid the gun in place. I then picked up my bag and walked back to the door where the other bag was currently located and the one in my hands down next to the other one. The banister I had set my things next to was holding onto my cloak, putting it on I brought the hood up and let it cover my whole face. Opening the door I grabbed the bags and left the 'house' I was currently occupying while it's owners were away.

I walked westward where the city of Edge was located. I had a good shot of seeing my target there as rumors had said that he hung out at Seventh Heaven, a local bar. So that was my destination. In an hour I could see the outline of edge and then in another two hours, I was walking into the bar. By now it was around eight O'clock, so the bar was just starting to get busy. I walked to a back booth and set my bags down next to me. Peering around, I saw no sign that Vincent was here, or had been here lately. So I decided to perk my ears in case someone was talking about him. All the conversations that I heard were from drunken men who were discussing who they would have sex with next. How Pleasant.

"Excuse me; what would you like to drink?" A voice asked next to me. Turning to her I saw that she had long black hair and was wearing a black tank top that zipped in the front. Underneath that she wore another tank top that was white; she also wore a pair of black short with a black skirt like cloth that came mid-thigh in the front and then in the back went to the ground almost. She wore a pair of dark colored Tennis shoes. On her right bicep was a red ribbon; she was a member of AVALANCHE.

"Water it all" I answered her question, looking back at the table. I heard her leave and then return shortly with the water. She set it down in front of me and left as I thanked her. She returned to the bar as the door opened and closed. A man with spiky blonde hair that looked like it belonged to a Chocobo. The man went up the woman to talk with her. I strained my ears to listen to the conversation.

"Any luck Cloud?" The woman asked, cleaning out a shot glass.

Cloud, the man with spiky hair, shook his head, "No, I don't think he wants out help at the moment. He keeps avoiding me whenever I try to talk with him."

The woman sighed and set the glass down, "I wonder why he's acting so cold, not that he was always so _friendly_, but still…"

"He'll come around Tifa, he always does. He just needs time." Cloud responded.

Tifa, the woman, nodded, "I guess. He still hiding in the city?"

Cloud nodded his head and sighed before heading up stairs, Finishing my glass of, I pulled out some Gil and paid for my drink before standing up and attaching my two bags to a belt at my waist. I nodded to Tifa as she came over to the table I just vacated. I could hear a gasp as I left the bar, smiling. It was near eight-thirty and it was beginning to get dark out.

Slowly I walked to the edge of Edge before taking off at a full blown sprint towards the Forgotten city. I knew who and what they were talking about even if they didn't exactly say it aloud. Cliffs, mountains, everything flew by in a blur of color. When I finally put the skids on, I was surrounded by glowing white trees. A river was quietly flowing next to me as I got my bearings. I was definitely in the Forgotten City and it was time for me to do what I was hired to do. Kill Vincent Valentine.


	2. Assassin's Strike

Assassin's Blood

Chapter 2 – Assassin Strikes

One foot in front of the other is how I began walking, trying to find my target. Try as I could, I didn't even see a speck of red, let alone a red cape. Sighing, I ran a hand down my face as the other rested on my hip, "Where in all the bloody world is he?" I asked myself.

"Who?"

In the time of a second I had launched two bullets from Hades whom I had pulled out and pointed behind myself. Turning my head to look back, I saw no one.

"Would you be looking for me?"

I snapped my head forward and saw him; Vincent Valentine. "You're smarter than you look, Vincent Valentine." I said, folding my arms across my chest.

"Hm"

"What? You're not going to fire at me?" I smirked

"Who are you?"

"It's not nice to answer a question with another question. But, if you must know though, I'm Crimson." I responded, letting my arms fall to the side.

"The Assassin"

"You're well informed"

Valentine didn't respond, unless you count him pulling out the triple barreled gun from its holster. In turn, I raised Hades and pointed it at him as he mirrored my moves.

"Who sent you?"

"That, my dear Vincent, would be considered selling out the employer. I cannot do that."

Before I knew it, I was dodging bullets and firing my own. Usually when I did my job, I could out run my target in the matter of seconds and then they're dead. But with him, I could _barely_ keep up. Hell, I was known to be incredibly fast, but this man was something else. In my lapse of concentration, a bullet came too close to me and took my hood off of my head. He could now see my face. Growling, I shot at him until the clicking of my gun alerted me to that I was out of bullets. I reached into my gun holster and found none. I was out of ammo.

"Damn It" I swore, backing up. Vincent stopped what he was doing and just stared at my face.

"Emilia…" I froze, how did he know my name?

"How do you know my name?" I asked, trying to stop the shaking in my voice.

"You don't remember me do you?" Vincent began walking forward.

"Get away!" I shouted, wide eyed.

I was freaking out so bad due to the fact that I have never told my name to anyone. Well, anyone since I woke up in that crypt. But that's beside the point.

"How do you know me?" I asked, continuing to back up.

"I've known you for a _very_ long time. Don't run away." The man said, continuing to walk forward. This was turning into a game of Cat and mouse. Usually I was the Cat, but this time…I was the mouse.

I opened my mouth to say something, and then I snapped it shut. I began searching the surrounding trees; somebody else was here. Vincent noticed as well, but didn't react. A twig snapped behind me. Spinning around, I saw a man, in all black, pointing his gun at me. I didn't have enough time to shoot off Hades; even If I had bullets, as a bullet entered my chest.

Doubling over, gasping for air, I could feel the bullet actually inside my torso, almost puncturing my lungs. Bullets flew overhead as I fell to my knees. I couldn't get any air; instead, something was coming up, making me cough. I was coughing up blood; blood that was tinted an almost violet color. My blood only did that when I had poison in my veins…oh I'm in deep.

"Emilia." Vincent's voice came from my side.

"Get away from…me…"I couldn't keep my thoughts straight, and it didn't help that my eyes were falling close on their own accord. Soon I was consumed by the darkness.

Voices, muffled ones, but voices were there. I couldn't tell who they belonged to, but I could tell the gender of them. A woman was talking, now a man. Another man made a comment. Then I was underneath the water again and the voices were gone.

I woke up, disoriented and confused. Where was I? Opening my eyes all I could see was light, and it burnt my eyes. Groaning, I closed my eyes from the pain. Someone must've heard me, as a door opened up. Then it closed as the person came towards my position. Cracking my eye, I saw spiked, yellow colored hair. I opened both my eyes now so I could stare at Cloud Strife. He didn't know who I was so; I asked him a very simple question I knew the answer to. "Who are you?"

Cloud continued to stay in silence for a moment before saying his name, "Cloud, and who're you?"

"Crimson -"

"Your real name." I glared at the man standing above me. I didn't respond to his demand and looked away from him. We stayed that way for a few minutes until he turned and left the room. It was then that I could study my surroundings. I was lying on a bed, the first real bed in a while; my possessions were hanging at the foot of it. A desk and window were the only other things in the room. It was a rather bland room, the walls and floor being all made out of wood.

The door opened up and in came Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent, a red panther, two other men, and a girl in either her late teens or very early twenties. They spread out over the room, either to lean against the wall, lie on the ground, or sit down next to me on the bed. Tifa perched herself on the bed with the other girl on the other side of the bed.

"Glad to see that you're awake. I'm Tifa by the way."

"Nice to meet you," I said, and then I sat up so I could stare at all of them.

"I'm Yuffie!" The girl shouted, hurting my ears.

Nodding my head in a greeting to her, I looked at the men leaning on the wall. One had yellow hair and wore goggles on his forehead. He wore a teal colored shirt and a pair of light tan colored pants. He was smoking. The other man looked to be gruff in appearance and personality; he was a colored man with black hair and wore a white vest with a pair of dark colored pants. His right hand and forearm was missing, and seemed to be replaced with a gun of sorts that I had never seen before.

"The names Cid," the one smoking greeted.

"Barret, nice ta meet ya little lady." The other greeted.

Again, I nodded my head in greeting and then looked away. The girl, Yuffie, looked like she was going to explode if she didn't ask a question or two. "What is it…Yuffie?"

She seemed to explode with more than just two questions, "What's your name? How do you know Vinnie? How old are you? Are you old Friends of Vinnie's? Where did you come from? Why do you have a gun?"

I blinked twice before I answered any of her questions. "Crimson, I don't, Too Old, No; I'm a Nomad, Why can't a woman carry a gun?"

She blanched, jaw dropping to the covers almost, "What do you mean you don't know Vincent! He obviously knows you; he's the one who brought you here!" Yuffie complained.

"Maybe she truly doesn't know Yuffie. Either that or she doesn't wish to tell us." The red panther said from his position on the floor, "My name is Nanaki, Crimson."

"Nice to meet you and the first one is correct." I told him. Once I said that, it seemed that Yuffie pouted

"Crimson"

I turned to look at Vincent, who was leaning against the wall nearest the bed I was currently occupying. I raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. "Tell them your real name"

"No" I answered, closing my eyes and laying down on the bed again.

"She doesn't trust us, Vincent. Give it a rest."

Vincent didn't respond. A few minutes passed in silence and then everyone let, everyone that is, but one. I could hear their foot falls walking down a flight of stairs, then silence. It was broken when metal hit the floor and then pressure was added to the bed, making it lean right. Opening my eyes, I saw my unwanted visitor looking at me.

"Why did you do it?" I asked him, turning my gaze to the ceiling.

"For reasons that are my own," Vincent responded.

We sat in silence for a while; " How do you know me?" I finally asked, feeling uncomfortable in the silence.

"We were…old friends…years ago." He responded, it seemed it took a lot to say that.

"Hm…" I was satisfied with the answer; also, I didn't want to anger him with pointless questions. I sat up and swung my legs out from underneath the covers. I was still wearing my black pants, but my shirt had been replaced with a plain white tank top. My boots were lying next to the bed, and after slipping them on, stood up. My Chest protested when I stood, but I ignored the slight pain from the tightening muscles and went towards the door. Vincent got up from the bed and followed me out the door and down the flight of stairs the others had used just minutes ago. I came into the bar at Seventh Heaven.

Cid, Barret, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, and Nanaki were lying around and talking to each other, seeing as the bar was closed. They stopped talking once Vincent and I entered the room. "So, has Miss. Sour-ass calmed down enough to hold a conversation?" Yuffie Smarted.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? I believe you'll find Miss. Sour-ass looking back at you." I said, stone faced and everything that would make people think I'm being serious.

"Why you little -" Yuffie began, jumping up from her seat while Cid and Barret were failing at holding in their laughter. Tifa and Cloud had on a smile and smirk respectively. Nanaki was shaking his head.

"'Little'? I'm sorry to say that you're the one who is 'little'" I responded, a smile pulling at my mouth.

"Ohh! I give up!" Yuffie huffed and sat back down. I laughed and walked forward.

"You seem in a better mood." Tifa commented.

"I needed some time to gather my thoughts" I told her. Yuffie opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. Already knowing what she was going to say. "You still don't have my trust. My trust is not something I wear on my sleeve." Yuffie's mouth snapped shut.

"We haven't done anything to have you hate us" Cloud said from his position on a bar stool.

"I never said I hated you, I just don't trust you…yet. Give it time." I smiled.

Vincent moved from behind me and walked to the back of the bar and sat down in the farthest booth. I stared at him for a second longer and then looked at Cloud who was talking to me, "Tell us, Crimson, why were you in the Forgotten City?"

"For reasons that are my own" I answered, uncomfortable at the turn in conversation.

"Those reasons would be…?" Yuffie encouraged, but I took no notice of her, I only sat down at the bar and looked around at everyone.

"Vincent knows doesn't he…?" I looked at Tifa; she was looking at me while organizing the drinks. She's a great multi-tasker. She was referring to my name.

"Yes."

"I thought you said we didn't have your trust."

"You don't"

"Then why'd you tell him?"

"I didn't"

"Then how does he -"

"I haven't the foggiest." Tifa gained a look of confusion on her face at my response, but I was thankful she didn't' push it any more than she had already. "I'm going or a walk. You don't mind if I leave my belongings here, do you?"

"No, but when you come back, I'm going to check your wound." Tifa said as I nodded my head and then walked towards the door. Once outside, I felt like I could breathe easier, I was never a person for the crowds and such and preferred to stand back in the shadows. That is why I'm an assassin. The sky was beginning to get dark, meaning I had been out for a minimum of a full 24 hours. People all around me were starting back towards their homes. As I began walking the sidewalks became too crowded, and I jumped onto the nearest roof to escape them. I walked along that way for a while until I sat down on the edge of one of them. After fifteen minutes of staring at the sky line I spoke, "I'm not an idiot you know. I can't afford to be one, Job doesn't allow it. So why don't you show your face?" I heard cloth rustle as the person who had been tailing me since the bar came out of hiding.

"My, my, I'm surprised you knew I was tailing you." I turned my head to look at my 'visitor'. He was around Six feet tall; brown, bowl cut hair, green eyes. He wore a black mask concealing his bottom half of his face including his nose. He was dressed in black from head to foot as well. In his right hand was a gunblade. It was in that moment that I forgot to bring Hades with me, leaving me weapon less. This couldn't end well.

"I'm a trained assassin, so why wouldn't I notice?"

"You've been careless Emilia"

"How do you know my name?"

"You'd be surprised by what we know about you Emilia," he stated, smiling like a mad man, "The Prof. isn't happy with you at the moment. He expected you to have finished the job by now."

"Who is the Professor?" I asked, stalling for time as I stood up and turned to face him.

"Since you're about to die, I'll answer it for you. His name is Hojo, Professor Hojo. You might've known him once upon a time." He was smirking.

"And why, pray tell me; does he want Vincent Valentine dead?" I wanted answers before I needed to run.

"Sorry, even I don't know that. So, if you're done asking questions…" The assassin fired at me just as I jumped off the roof and into the sidewalk below. The bullets passed overhead as I crouched down and then took off in a second. I continued to dodge the occasional bullet that veered to close for comfort. I saw the bar lights up ahead and suddenly a pain erupted in my chest, causing me to trip and slam into the pavement. I clutched at my chest, and when I pulled away, I saw Red. Blood. My wound had been reopened.

"Nowhere to run now, little girl," A shoe came and kicked me into a wall of a building. I held in my groan of pain. "And no one is going to save you."

I stared up at the man, hate in my eyes, probably showing clearly. He laughed, bringing the gun blade up so it pointed at my head. "Goodbye, Emilia" He pulled the trigger. At the last possible second, I tilted my head and swung my right leg, effectively knocking his legs out from under him. Jumping up, I clutched my chest as I ran, but didn't get far as a bullet tore through my thigh, muscle and all. Again I collapsed on the pavement and this time I let loose a small cry of pain.

"You bitch. I'm done messing around." The man growled behind me.

Suddenly a shot was fired from in front of me and soon the clang of metal on metal reached me. "Emilia" I looked up and saw red, literally. A red cape was surrounding me.

"Valentine." I responded, and then I tried to get up, only to gasp as pain filled my chest and thigh, falling back to the pavement, "Damn it"

"Come on, I'll get you back to the bar." Soon I was being lifted up in a pair of arms. It was only then that I could see who was fighting my pursuer. Cloud had his buster sword out and was pushing the assassin back. In a flurry of red, we were inside Seventh Heaven. Drunken men stopped their blabber as Vincent carried me upstairs. He entered the room I had been in previous and set me down on the bed. I thought he would have gone and gotten Tifa, but he stayed with me and rolling up my pant leg. "What're…you…doing?" I asked, trying to keep the pain out of my voice.

"I'm going to take the bullet out." The wound was located an inch or two above my knee cap, so I wouldn't be walking anytime soon. Taking a knife, he slowly began taking the bullet out; all the while I had clamped my mouth shut in so I wouldn't put a sailor to shame. Once it was out, I let out the breath I had been holding. It was then that Tifa came into the room, looking miffed. She came over and grabbed a roll of gauze as Vincent stood and quietly left the room.

Tifa sat on the bed and cleaned the thigh wound before wrapping it tightly. "You're going to have to take off your shirt, since I'm going to have to rebandage the whole thing." Tifa ordered, and then patched me up once I followed the order. I grabbed the bag of clothes I had and dug out a dark red tank top to wear. The shirt I had been wearing was ruined due to the big blood stain.

"Now, why the hell did you go for a walk?" Tifa demanded, and she looked _ticked_.

I looked at her with a neutral expression, "I needed some fresh air."

"Did you know you were going to be attacked?"

"If I knew I was going to be attacked, I would have either A) taken Hades with me or B) Not gone at all."

"Remember, your gun doesn't have any bullets, and you could have taken one of us with you."

"I still don't trust any of you completely."

"You don't have to trust us for one of us to go with you." Tifa stated, getting even more frustrated.

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Just drop it. What's done is done. Nothing can change what has happened." I shot at her, rubbing my temples.

Without another word, Tia stood and walked out the door and down the stairs. I closed my eyes and just relaxed. I wasn't in the mood to verbally fight anyone. My mind went back to what the assassin said about my employer. Who exactly is Hojo? I sighed, I probably will never know. Suddenly the door Tifa had closed on her way out, opened. Opening my eyes, I sat up and saw a tiny hand opening the door.


	3. Haunting Nights

**Author's Note: Man, it's been a while since I updated anything on here. Well, here's the third chapter of Assassin's Blood.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters. I do own Crimson (Emilia).**

Assassin's Blood

Chapter 3 - Haunting Nights

The little hand pushed the door open fully, revealing a little girl with brown hair pulled back into a braid with a red ribbon holding it in place. She wore a dress that looked gray in color and tennis shoes on her feet. She walked into the room cautiously, as if I would harm her. "Who are you?" She asked, slowly walking me on the bed.

"Crimson, and who would you be?" I replied, scooting back to lean on the head board.

"Marlene. Why are you here?" She questioned me, tilting her head to the side in a way only a child could pull off.

"We'll, I'm injured at the moment; don't worry, I'm a fast healer." I explained. Marlene nodded her head in understanding.

"Crimson, will you play with me?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course, I can't exactly walk though." Marlene nodded again and then ran off out of the room to, most likely, another room to grab something. She soon returned with a doll in here hands. The doll had dark brown, almost black hair with blue buttons for eyes. The outfit the doll wore was a green dress with little cloth shoes on its feet. I patted the bed next to me and Marlene came over and hopped up onto the bed.

"So, does your doll have a name?" I asked, making enough room for her on the bed to be comfortable.

"No…I don't know what to name her." She explained, looking at her doll thoughtfully as if the doll would tell her her name.

"Hm…" I started thinking of people she was close to, "How about Tifa?"

"Maybe, I don't know…" She said, continuing to stare at the doll.

"Alright, how about in the mean time we create a story."

"Yeah!"

"Okay, so what should we start with?" I asked her, looking at the little girl. Marlene looked up at me with eyes that spelled 'imagination at work'.

"Well…"

An hour later, Marlene was fast asleep while clutching the doll, whose name was indeed Tifa, close to her body. It was nearing ten, maybe even eleven o'clock, and the bar was closing up, seeing as Tifa probably didn't want to deal with all the drunken men. It was at that moment that I heard a shout and then footsteps running up the stairs. "Marlene!" Tifa's voice echoed throughout the upper house of the bar.

"Tifa!" I called, trying not to wake the sleeping girl beside me. Tifa came into the room and spotted Marlene sleeping soundly next to me. She smiled and then came over to pick up the little girl. "I'm sorry about earlier and everything. I hope Marlene didn't bother you."

"Nope, not a bit," I said, "And apology accepted." Tifa nodded her head and then walked out of the room, carrying Marlene in her arms. Scooting forward on the bed, I laid down and closed my eyes, falling asleep quickly.

_***Dream***_

_ "Emilia!" Turning around, I spotted my partner I had been assigned to just a few short weeks ago begin walking towards me. So, I stopped and waited till he caught up and then began walking again. His black hair was neatly combed back and his blue uniform was clean and pressed. The same went for each person's uniform that is currently in the Turks._

_ "So, how is Dr. Crescent doing?" I asked him, stuffing my hands in to the pocket of my jacket. _

_ "She's doing fine; she freaked out not too long ago when she found out who my father was. Anyway, how is Hojo doing with his 'experiments'?" He asked as we turned a corner. _

_ "Oh! You're genuinely curious…who are you and what have you done with my partner?" I joked around, laughing as he shook his head. "You don't want to know, so many people are dying because of his sick obsession in finding the 'perfect' human. He's sickening." I explained, using air quotes around 'perfect'._

_ "You wouldn't be talking of me, now would you dear?" Hojo's voice sounded from behind us as we walked._

_ "How did you know?" I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. My Partner looked at me as if I had just confessed to a crime that would lead to my death. _

_ "Insolent woman," Hojo remarked, walking past us and then went into a side hallway that lead to another laboratory of his. Once we were out of hearing distance, my partner turned to me, making us stop._

_ "You take the most risks I have ever seen in my life. No offense, but how are you alive?" He asked, staring bewilderedly at me._

_ "What can I say? I like living on the edge. It gives me a sense of freedom In a way. Freedom I never had before." I laughed, continuing our walk until we came to a cross roads. "Guess I'll be seeing you later tonight."_

_ "Yep, call if there's anything you need Emilia."_

_ "See ya, Vincent"_

_***End Dream***_

I sat up like a bolt of lightning in bed. My breathing was labored; that dream wasn't a nightmare, it just came as a surprise. I grabbed my head with my right hand before falling back against the pillow and mattress. "What was all that about?"

I don't remember ever dressing in a suit; I don't even know who the Turks are. I take that back, I do know of them. But I was never one of them. Who's Doctor Crescent? I know little of Hojo, but now I can put a name with the face. But I didn't' know well enough to speak casually around him. Usually I'm on Guard 24/7. Shaking off the dream, I turned my head to look out the window just across the room. It was still in the early hours of the morning as the sun had yet to rise above the horizon and the stars were still shining in the dark sky. Closing my eyes, I slipped off into sleep without a dream to trouble my mind.

That morning, I was still laid up in bed due the thigh wound, but because of my weird ability to heal at inhuman rates, I should be up by tomorrow at the latest. Tifa had already come in with a tray of food before setting it down and redoing my bandages. She then left to let me eat my breakfast in peace. After I had finished, Marlene had come in and had dragged a young boy, most likely a brother or close friend, in with her. The boy had shaggy brown hair and was wearing a green shirt over a pair of dark colored pants. The boy was clearly a few years older than Marlene.

"Crimson, this is Denzel. Denzel, this is Crimson. Tifa said Vincent brought you here. Is that true?" Marlene made quick work of the introductions and went and asked a question to me with big eyes.

I smiled at her childish innocence, "I guess that's right. I wasn't aware of what was going on, but that seems right."

"Oh, can you play with us?" Denzel asked lightly, looking nervously at me.

"Sure, but I can't exactly walk until the wound in my leg heals up." I explained to him, pulling back the covers to show them my thigh. I was currently wearing a pair of shorts so Tifa wouldn't have any issues with clothes when changing my bandages.

"Crimson! How'd you get hurt so bad?" Marlene asked, climbing up onto the bed. Denzel followed her and sat next to my knees after I had covered my leg back up and leaned back onto the headboard.

"Well…first, answer me honestly; Do you want the truth _or_ Do you want me to make up a story?" Marlene and Denzel looked at me, then at each other. After a minute of debate, they both looked at me and smiled.

"Make up a story!"

I smiled wide as I began to think, "Okay, it was a cold night, but it wasn't dreary or rainy, it was only cold. I was walking down an alley, probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, and then I took a right turn once the buildings vanished on both sides of me. I thought it was odd when none of the lights were on. Not even the security lights! But I left it alone and kept walking ahead. Suddenly I was lost; I didn't recognize anything around me. There is this saying, "**The view is always better on the rooftops**". So I climbed up and managed to stand on one. And the old saying was right. The view was amazing; I was even able to spot the bar in the distance, allowing me to walk towards it.

"I walked for a few minutes, until I felt a pair of eyes on me. I stopped walking and looked around myself, but I didn't see anything. The pair of eyes was probably watching me from the shadows. 'Come on out!' I shouted, looking around. I heard a man laugh behind me, so I spun around and saw my pursuer. It was a man shorter than Vincent, but not by much. He wore all black and all I could tell about him was that he meant to harm me."

"No!" Marlene refused, clutching her feet.

"Yes! He said to me 'You're a smart one, not many can tell I'm following them.' I looked at him, not backing down from his stare. 'Either you're smart, or you're just losing your touch.' I told him. He seemed to growl at me once I had said that and his hand moved to his side. It was then that I noticed he had a gun with him, and I didn't. Before he could fire off the first shot, I had jumped from the roof and began running in the direction I had seen Seventh Heaven in.

"Soon enough bullets were flying around me from my pursuer, and I was constantly dodging them. Looking ahead, I saw the lights from the bar. It was in that moment that he managed to fire a shot and hit me in my leg. I went down and clutched my leg in pain. It hurt so much! I could barely hear his footsteps as he came closer and closer. However, they stopped and a clang rang out, followed shortly by the sounds of a battle. From there, a person lifted me up and brought me into the bar and then up here. When they put me on the bed, I saw that it was Vincent." I concluded, looking at the two kids.

"Wow…" They said in unison, staring back up at me. We stayed in silence for a moment, just staring at each other.

"Marlene! Denzel! Come here for a moment!" Tifa's voice rang out from below. The kids' faces fell when they heard Tifa calling. "Go on, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I told them, pushing them to go downstairs. They nodded their heads and jumped off the bed and ran out the door. I slid down the headboard to lie down on the bed. I closed my eyes, only to snap them open as a voice spoke.

"You always had a soft spot for children."

Vincent had come into my room without my knowledge, that shouldn't have happened. It was a wound to my pride as an assassin. "I'm going to ignore that statement as I have never met you before that day in the Capital."

"Then who was that man that attacked you?"

My eyes followed him across the room, "An assassin."

"Who sent him?"

"My employer-"

"Your 'employer' wants you dead if you have not noticed, "Vincent growled out, "Who is you employer. Apparently he or she wants us both gone now."

"He never said his name. But the assassin said something about a Professor Hojo-"

"What!" Vincent snarled, and it was in that moment that I saw that I was in very, _very_ dangerous waters talking about this 'Professor' around him. Vincent's eyes were full of hatred and rage, and flipped back in forth from crimson red to a dark yellow. It was as if a beast was trying to escape. Something wasn't right here.

"Who is this Hojo?" I questioned lightly, sitting up in the bed once again.

Vincent calmed visibly on the outside, bit I could tell he was still fuming on the inside, "A man who has done evil and wronged many people." Was all the answer I got from him, but that was not what I was looking for.

"Why does he want you dead?" I again questioned.

"For reasons I do not wish to tell."

I stared at him, but he avoided my gaze. Then it clicked, "Does one of those reasons involve me?" Vincent visibly stiffened underneath his cloak. "I'll take that as a yes."

Hours had passed and it was now dark. My thigh wound had closed up, allowing me to walk around on it now. So I was currently sitting downstairs in a back booth in the bar. Vincent had left the bar after the round of '20 questions' and hadn't been seen since. Tifa told me not to worry about him, even though I wasn't, and said he would be back later this week.

"Crimson!" Tifa called from the actual bar. I looked up from the intense staring contest I was currently having with the table and over to her position. "Can you help me out over here?"

"It'll give me something to do at least." I said, getting up and then walking over to the bar. I hopped up and over the counter and landed on my feet behind it. Grabbing a towel, I went to work on the just cleaned shot glasses.

"Are you sure you should have just done that your just healed wound?" Tifa asked, glancing at where the thigh wound was there this morning. She went and poured some drinks for some customers when I answered her.

"I've done worse with worse wounds." I explained to her, filling the glass with Jose Cuervo and giving it to the man who just sat down and asked for one. Suddenly a hand slammed down on the bar out of nowhere it seemed. The hand belonged to a man in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair. He was, at the minimum, six feet and 250 pounds. None of it was fat either, just pure muscle. He wore a pair of faded Jeans and a dark gray shirt; hanging from his hip was a pistol. A glance at Tifa told me that she would take care of the miniature giant. We traded places and now I served most of the drinks and then washed them.

Putting twelve shots on a tray and filling them with whiskey, I walked out from behind the bar and out into the room. I handed the shots to men who asked for one and soon I was out of the drinks I had filled and the tray now had acquired the empty and dirty shot and regular glasses along with a few beer bottles. I headed back to the bar, trying to avoid each man with lust in his eyes, though that failed when I accidentally passed a man and his hand came out and hit my rump. I brought my head around and with a look that could kill I told him in no uncertain terms that if he did that again, I would make sure he would never be able to 'please' a woman again. After that incident, I went back behind the bar and threw away the bottles and began cleaning the other glasses for use.

"Where is she!"

A fist crashed down on the bar counter; glasses and bottles fell of and shattered in to thousands of pieces. The liquid splattered across the floor. The huge man from earlier had shouted out and stood up, using his height to intimidate; he was also incredibly ticked off. The entire bar suddenly grew quiet, even the completely drunken out of their minds men knew not to speak. The big man was staring Tifa down, but she was holding her own under his gaze. My eyes lingered on them for a little longer and then I resumed my work, listening in on them, though it wasn't hard.

"Who are you talking about?" Tifa asked.

"Emilia! Her name is Emilia Strongbaugh!" He shouted.

"I'm sorry, but I have never heard of this Emilia Strongbaugh in all my life. Leave" Tifa's voice was as cold as ice.

"She is here, I know she is! Where is she!" He roared. The people seated at the bar slowly got up and began walking away and into the actual dining area.

"She is_ not_, now leave of I'll throw you _out_." Tifa threatened earnestly.

I heard the man growl before leather against metal greeted my ears. The shot glass in my hand went sailing and hit the man in the arm, shattering. The arm that was pulling the pistol out of the holster was the one I had aimed for. "I suggest that you leave or _**we**__ will _throw you out." I threatened walking over to the man and Tifa.

"I'm not leaving until I know where the bloody hell that woman is!" He bellowed, standing even straighter.

"Damn it, we don't even know who the hell that woman is! So **Leave!**" I ordered, pointing at the door and glaring. The man glared back at me and then slowly walked towards the door. He opened it and then slammed it with unneeded force. The Men in the bar began talking again…just they were more sober now. Tifa turned to me and stared, "How did you do that?"

"Just comes naturally" I shrugged my shoulders then went back to cleaning and filling glasses.

The bar was closed and everyone was asleep, but I. I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. That man tonight, he was most likely working for Hojo to try and kill me. Not many people know my real name. That was the third man in two days…Or was it three? I sighed and pushed the covers back then swung my feet out of the bed and stood up. I was wearing a baggy shirt and a pair of shorts. I quickly put on a baggy pair of sweat pants and an almost deep violet long sleeved shirt. I grabbed my bag holding my books and took out some paper and a writing utensil. After I finished writing the note, I made the bed and placed the note on the pillow. I then grabbed my boots and laced them on before grabbing my bags and hooking them to my belts. The gun holster bounced against my thigh when I swung the cloak on. I then walked out of the room, slowly closing the door so it didn't wake anyone. I made my way downstairs and through the maze of tables and random barstools. I walked to the door and was about to open it when it turned on its own.

My eyes widened as I then turned and sprinted behind the bar. Light streamed in and then vanished as the door opened and closed behind the person who entered. Heavy footfalls sounded as the person; a man, walked across the bar towards the stairs. Once the man was gone, I snuck out from hiding and walked over to the door. This time, I opened it and closed it quietly. Once outside, I bolted and sprinted down numerous streets, alley's, and across roof tops until I was out of Edge and then I kept running. I don't know how long I ran for, but when I stopped I was surrounded by the familiar glowing trees of the forgotten capital.

Slowly I walked through the trees while trying not to run into anything. Coming to a river, I sat down by it and looked out crossed it. Pulling my eyebrows together, I thought about what Vincent had said earlier about Hojo. What has that man done to Vincent? Obviously something horrible, but what? It also involved me somehow. I don't remember meeting Hojo or Vincent before though. But they knew me, so maybe it was before I awoke in that god forsaken place. I shook my head; I had to stop thinking about that topic. I was giving myself a headache. Leaning back, I laid on the ground with my hands behind my head, looking at the tops of the trees. The sky above me was peaceful, a contrast to my cluttered mind. I continued to stare above me and just watch the dark sky. For some reason, I felt completely safe and at ease; maybe that's why I closed my eyes.

_***Dream***_

_ "Vincent Valentine"_

_ "Emilia Strongbaugh"_

_ The dark haired man in front of me grinned and nodded, "Welcome to the Turks. We've been assigned as partners since I didn't have one before you came here. Come on, I'll show you around the place."_

_***Dream***_

_ "Vincent! Where in all the bloody hell are you!" I shouted, running past the training room. A gun barked from inside as I kept running. I ran up four flights of stairs. A light was on in the room to the left of the stairs. I went over and knocked, "Hello?" This is Emilia Strongbaugh. Permission to enter?"_

_ No answer. Curious, I pushed open the door and walked inside. It was a brick room with a few tables with beakers on them, some full others not, on said table. My eyes weren't drawn to this however as I walked in and saw a pool of deep crimson blood. I stared in horror at the decent sized pool. Something white caught my eye as I continued to stare at it._

_ Walking forward, I kneeled down and picked up a small rectangle that was slowly turning red. It was a name tag. Turning it over, I just gaped at the name of it. I dropped the tag and stood up from kneeling, "No…no…no…" I backed up till I hit the wall with my back and collapsed to the ground just staring at the blood. There was so much of it, the person couldn't be alive. _

_ Tears streamed down my face like a river or a waterfall as I stared at the ground. "It can't be…no!" I cried out in anguish; suddenly the door opened, heels clicked against the concrete floor._

_ "Emilia?" A woman's voice asked. I looked up and saw Doctor Crescent standing there, looking at me. I pulled my knees up and buried my head into them, continuing to cry. "Em, what's wrong?"_

_ Silently I pointed at the middle of the floor. Not a second later I heard her gasp and then heels clicked against the floor. I heard ruffles from her skirt and then another gasp followed by the clicking of heels. Hands pulled me into a hug, letting me lean on her._

_ "I'm so sorry"_

_***End Dream***_

I don't know how long it's been since I closed my eyes, but the sky was a little lighter than it had before, so it must be either dawn or before noon. Looking around I saw I was in a different location then where I had been in previously. The river was nowhere in sight, so I sat up and looked around.

"You're awake," Startled, I stood up and looked up. No one was there. "Who's there?" I asked aloud; my answer was the rustling of fabric. Spinning around I faced the man who haunted my dreams and watched me with eagle like eyes during the day hours. There was no escape from this man, the one who died, or close to it. The man was none other than –

-_Vincent Valentine_

**Note: **

**Can anyone tell me which game the line in bold is above in a dream is from? Hugs to whoever can guess. And Remember, Please Review….I love seeing what you guys think. Just no flames. Thank you!**


	4. Author's Note

**Sorry about all the notices of a new story, but I feel that I need to explain what has been causing me not to update as much as I want to. First I have been swamped with my homework and trying to keep my grades high. I also have had some Church things that have gone on. Since last January there have been (We've counted) 16 funerals that I have been to, beginning with my Grandfathers. Third, this year there have been two suicides at my school and It's been hard to do anything. But I'll try to update more often, but no promises. Things have the tendency to just appear out of the blue. **


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